1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a roll stand arrangement for a single wire rolling mill train and including a multi-stand finishing block, and a multi-stand post finishing block with, alternatively, non-cooling or cooling of a wire strand between the finishing block and the post finishing block.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An arrangement of this type is disclosed in a European Patent Publication EP 512 735 B1. The arrangement disclosed in EP 512 735 B1 permits to obtain a flexible calibration of working rolls in order to meet different production requirements and, thereby, provides for a better use of the rolling mill train. The post finishing block in EP 512 735 B1 includes at least two but, primarily, four roll mill stands. A further advantage of the arrangement, which is disclosed in the above-mentioned European Publication, consists in that better tolerances can be obtained by rolling the wire strand in the last stands of the post finishing block with a reduced pass reduction. However, with the arrangement disclosed in the European application, different cooling requirements cannot be met which, e.g., should be met when thermomechanical rolls are used. The meeting of the cooling requirements necessitates a provision of a more or less long cooling zone between the finishing block and the post finishing block. However, with existing arrangements in which the finishing block and the post finishing block are spaced from each other by a short distance, such cooling zones cannot be provided.
However, roll stand arrangements with finishing and post finishing blocks, in which cooling of the wire strand is possible, are known. Thus, German Patent DE-AS 42 17 149 discloses a roll stand arrangement in which there are provided, between a group of intermediate roll stands and the finishing block, two 180.degree.-wire loopers displaceable relative to each other in the rolling direction and in the direction opposite the rolling direction, and one or more cooling installations arranged between the two loopers.
A German Patent application DE 198 43 032 discloses a roll stand arrangement in which a finishing block and a post finishing block provided in a first pitch line are located close to each other, and a second finishing block is provided in a second pitch line. The second pitch line branches from the first pitch line at a point behind an intermediate rolling mill train and extends parallel to the first pitch line. Two 180.degree.-loopers are provided between the finishing block and the post finishing block, with one or more cooling installation being provided between the two loopers.
Another German Publication DE-198 33 505 discloses a roll stand arrangement in which two parallel pitch lines branch from a point behind the intermediate rolling mill train and are combined before a wire treating installation. A finishing block and post finishing block are arranged in one of the branch pitch lines, and in another of the branch pitch lines, there are provided a post finishing block and one or more cooling installations located behind the post finishing block.
An object of the present invention is to provide a roll stand arrangement including a finishing block and a post finishing block located close to each other and which can be used for rolling steel wires which, after rolling in a finishing block, in order to obtain a controllable temperature profile, are subjected to cooling before finally being rolled in the post finishing block.